State grant helps fund Lowell schools program

By Sarah Favot, sfavot@lowellsun.com

Updated:
02/09/2013 06:35:11 AM EST

LOWELL -- Lowell Public Schools were awarded $365,000 in grant funding last week that will be used to create a summer program for students who are leaning English, and to open a Career Academy High School, Superintendent of Schools Jean Franco announced.

A $325,000 English Language Learners Enrichment Academies grant will be used to fund a summer ELL academy that will provide additional support to ELL students in grades 5 to 12.

The summer program will serve 400 ELL students five days a week, six hours a day for four weeks.

"I am very appreciative for the work of staff that secured the grant funding that will provide direct services to children," said Franco, who began her career as an ELL teacher said in a statement.

"The ELL grant is designed to provide direct summer support to ELL students. There will be a full-day summer-school offering to student that will provide experiential learning and a variety of academic support."

The Summer English Learning Academy will operate alongside the district's existing summer-school program.

"The district's goals are to leverage the resources of all the programs to reduce duplication of services and to maximize the services and funding for students," Franco added.

A Career Academies Planning grant of $40,000 was also awarded to the school district.

The money will be used to redesign the district's alternative high-school program to create a four-year Career Academy High School that will target students who are most at risk of dropping out of school.

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The academy will be created in partnership with Middlesex Community College and the Lowell Workforce Investment Board.

The Career Academy will be based on a nonpunitive culture with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Franco said.

Instruction will be based on Common Core standards and experiential-based learning. Students will be able to explore career opportunities through job shadowing, internships and externships.

"The overarching goal of the Career Academy is to help struggling students engage in education in a different way, become academically successful and connect with career and college pathways after high school," said Franco.

About 40 students will be part of the academy's first class in the fall.

More than $3.4 million in grants to 19 urban school districts across Massachusetts were announced last week.

The governor's Gateway Cities education agenda aims to eliminate achievement gaps that disproportionately affect students living in poverty, students of color, students with disabilities and students who are learning English in 24 gateway cities.

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